If you’re ready to hire a website designer in Dubai, you want to make sure you’re working with a professional. Before hiring, it’s a good idea to look at previous websites the designer has created. Looking at previously designed websites will give you a good look at the designer’s expertise and experience. Unfortunately, some designers make big mistakes along the way. You don’t want to work with someone that will make mistakes on your website. When you look at a designer’s portfolio, look for common mistakes. Here are a few of the top mistakes that a website design should never make.

Mistake #1 – Failing to Make Visited Links Change Color

When consumers use a website, navigation is one of the most important things. If consumers can’t easily navigate through the site, they’ll leave. When consumers can see where they have already been, it helps them on their journey through the website and makes it easier to figure out where to head next.

Links are an important part of a website’s navigation process. Users can click on links that they previously found helpful or skip over links that didn’t help them find the information they were seeking. It’s so important that they are aware of the pages that have already been visited, which keeps them from heading to the same pages repeatedly. The only way for the site to show users where they’ve already been is by changing the color of the link once the visitor visits that link.

Mistake #2 – Using PDF Files for Reading Online

Another big mistake that a website designer Dubai should never make is using PDF files for reading online. Most users don’t like to stumble upon PDF files when they are browsing the web. These files break the flow of reading. Once they end up with a PDF file, standard browser commands no longer work for them, so it’s harder to save or print documents.

Sometimes the layout of the page is optimized for printing, so it makes it difficult to view the PDF in a browser window. This often results in small fonts and eliminates easy scrolling. While PDF files are wonderful for big documents that can be downloaded and printed, they aren’t a great choice for online reading.

Mistake #3 – Choosing a Fixed Font Size

Website designers also need to avoid choosing a fixed font size when designing a website. Web browser’s allow users to change the font size of a page, choosing a font size that works best for them and their computer. However, sometimes designer choose a fixed font size. In many cases, this font size is very small, which makes readability a problem for many site visitors. Site users have different preferences, so a website should be designed to allow visitors to resize text if they need to.

Mistake #4 – Adding Big Blocks of Text

There’s nothing worse than clicking on a website and seeing huge blocks of text. Most visitors will not even stop to read a word, but instead they’ll navigate away from the website. A good web designer Dubai should realize that big blocks of text are intimidating and boring for visitors. To keep visitors on a website, text should be added in a way that makes it easy for readers to scan. Great tricks that draw visitors into the site text include:

– Short paragraphs

– Short sentences

– Simple writing style

– Keywords that are highlighted

– Subheadings

– Easy to understand language

– Bulleted lists

Mistake #5 – Opening Links in New Browser Windows

When visitors head to a website they don’t want to end up clicking on something, only to have a new browser window open. Most users often have up multiple tabs and windows and adding another window is frustrating and confusing. Many operating systems don’t manage multiple browser windows well, making this an even bigger problem.

Some website designers make the mistake of opening a new browser window to try to keep visitors on the website. However, this rarely works because it makes visitors feel like the site is taking over their computer. New browser windows also eliminate the use of the back button, making it difficult for users to get back to the site. Since many users use small laptops and tablets, they may not even realize that a new window has opened, which will make it confusing if they try to use the back button.

Most consumers hate pop-up windows. They have the ability to open pages in a new window or tab if they desire. It’s better for website designers to simply have links that head to new content instead of opening new tabs or windows.

Mistake #6 – Design Elements That Look Like Ads

Consumers see ads everywhere on the web. For this reason, they’ve learned to ignore those ads. If a website designer Dubai uses a design element that looks like an add, then users will probably end up ignoring it. This means that quality designers should avoid using any design elements that may look like an ad. A few guidelines should be considered when adding design elements to a website, including the following:

– Avoid Pop-ups – Users usually close pop-up windows before they even load. Most people think that pop-ups are ads, so pop-ups shouldn’t be used on websites.

– Skip Banners – Banner ads are popular, so most visitors don’t even look at anything that even remotely appears close to a banner ad. Make sure that design elements don’t closely resemble banner ads in page position of shape.

– Avoid Animation – Many ads also use flashing text, blinking text and other animations. Designers should avoid using these elements on a site, since they’ll probably be ignored.

Mistake #7 – Page Titles That Don’t Rank Well

Most visitors discover websites through search engines, so websites must be designed with search engine optimization in mind. Page titles are an important part of search engine optimization and they are also make internal navigation easier. Only the first 66 characters of a page title are usually show by search engines, so designers must pay careful attention to the beginning of those page titles.

When visitors bookmark websites, those page titles are used again as the site’s default entry in Bookmarks or Favorites. Starting page titles with words like “the,” “a” and “welcome” will leave your site alphabetized in an unexpected place in the user’s favorites.

Try to use important keywords that offer essential information when creating page titles. Designers should use the important words first in the title so those words are seen in search engine results. It’s also important to make sure that the page titles on your site start with different words for easy navigation between multiple windows or tabs.

Choosing the best website designer Dubai is important, and you want to make sure you choose someone with plenty of experience. Your website represents your business on the web, so you need to make a great impression. If you see work by a designer that includes these mistakes, continue your search. You can’t afford these mistakes on your website. Always ask to see previous work before hiring a designer, ensuring you find a quality, experienced professional that will provide you with high quality, website design services.